In Whelan v. AIB (Unreported Supreme Court 30/1/14) the third plaintiff, his wife and children, contracted for a loan to purchase land in Waterford for €25 Million, which later had a value less than €5 million.

The office of the financial services ombudsman (hereinafter FSO) was created by the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Act 2004 which inserted sections into the Central Bank Act 1942 (hereinafter the Act of 1942).

There is much litigation pending alleging negligent valuations of property that led to losses suffered by plaintiffs. Issues arise as to whether a duty of care is owed, whether the standard of care was reached and the quantification of damages. A recent case addresses some of these issues.

Section 9 of the Protection of Employees 2003 provides inter alia that an employer cannot have two or more fixed term contracts where the aggregate duration is greater than four years unless there are objective grounds for the renewal.

Section 34 of the Employment Equality Act 1998 makes it not unlawful on the age ground for an employer to fix retirement age and there is no qualification in the Act as to what criteria the employer may use to fix retirement ages.